Varied and interesting trips are organised for students to familiarise them with the environment they live in. These trips are aimed at providing opportunities for the children to assimilate real life situations and to make their academic education functionally meaningful within their environment. Trips are therefore organised and paced in line with each group's academic, physical and vocational level.

Tamana's night stay program is a unique programme that equips the mentally impaired and autistic persons with all the skills that make for a life of least dependence on others and inculcate a feeling of self sufficiency and self worth. It also enhances their social interaction. The purpose is also to wean the child emotionally from the parents. All students get an opportunity to stay two consecutive nights at a time at the hostel at Nai Disha. In the night stay programme the students are not sent home at the end of the day but are sent to the hostel at Nai Disha. They are given lunch, made to rest and then training is given in activities of daily living according to their age and ability. These activities include personal grooming, making beds, maintaining cupboards, washing and ironing clothes, cooking. The students are also trained to handle recreation and leisure time constructively.. The Night stay programme works towards the preparing the student to stay without the parent at time of family need i.e. respite care.

Best Buddies Programme

People with intellectual disabilities and autism are often excluded from society because of their differences. Tamana is determined to end social isolation for people special needs by establishing meaningful and lasting one to one friendships with their non-disabled peer. These friendships help increase self- esteem, confidence and the self worth of people with and without intellectual disabilities. What is most wonderful about the program is that it provides them with a ‘friend’, a buddy. This buddy accepts them as they are, wherever they may be in their social skill development. They initiate conversation and show a genuine interest in these kids.

Keeping all this in mind Tamana Schools started this program with students of Delhi Public School R.K Puram and Spring Dales School. The students from DPS and spring Dales School visit Tamana School regularly. They participate in various activities such as drama, dancing, cooking or academies. Students from these schools are participate in our events like Valentine's Day, World Autism Awareness Day, Winter Carnival, our fund raising events.

This sort of program gives disabled children something that can’t be bought a -friend. It provides children with disabilities more and better social contacts. Interaction with peers with disabilities has positive impacts also on those who do not have disabilities. They are learning to be more tolerant and sensitive to differences as they spend time with their special buddies. By training children with intellectual disability in the skills necessary to succeed in the community and workplace the non-disabled students have the key to change society’s mind and heart. This programme meets the immediate needs for social inclusion and affects long term change in people’s attitude towards individuals with intellectual and multiple disabilities and autism.

Sheltered workshops

In today’s world each one is looking for better job prospects and making their life more meaningful in their terms. It is an irony that our special students find themselves at cross roads not knowing what to do or how to engage themselves after the basic schooling and vocational training. Many of our students have come of age and now need to become economically independent. Even after vocational training, the special needs persons are unable to obtain jobs in industry and commercial establishments in wider society.

The result is loss of hope and confidence, which sweeps their life when they have no option but to sit at home, actually resulting in unlearning what they actually have learnt over the years. Thus started the need for sheltered workshops. The training program along with employment is a step towards working for their economic rehabilitation. The philosophy behind the sheltered workshops is to train students in a vocation, which will help them in becoming financially independent and productive members of society and to teach the students work place ethics.

Keeping this thought in the mind, in July 2005, Tamana set up two sheltered workshops – Bakery at Nai Disha(Vocational Center) and Laundry at Tamana Special school. Simple steps have been devised for teaching baking and laundry to individuals with special needs which take into account their abilities and limitations.

Baking (bread, cakes biscuits) is a simple cooking activity and after the process is broken into simple steps (task analysis) like identifying ingredients, weighing the ingredients, mixing, transferring to moulds, baking, decorating, packing and making the bills. Technological advancements have made the process simpler as now state of the art baking equipment are available which are easily operable by a single button and simplest of instructions. Additionally baked products have a good market in Indian urban areas and are fast moving products. The sales of products help us in raising funds for our organization and providing stipend to students who train in it. Thus, leading to greater self-sufficiency at student and institutional level. At present there are 12 students working in our bakery unit. A special educator and a baker train these students.

In the laundry unit the students are sent to collect linen and clothes from clients (beauty parlours). The students make a record of the number of clothes they collect from each client. After returning the students sort the clothes according to size and colour and put them in different washing machines. The students then pour the requisite quantity of the soap in the automatic machines and start the machine. After the wash cycle is over, the students dry the clothes in the sun. The students under supervision iron the dried clothes. The students make the final bills for each client.

Besides leading the students towards self-reliance, these two workshops have started rebuilding their self-esteem and fulfilling their emotional needs.

>Physical Fitness Program

Special Children too tend to become lethargic and over weight once they enter adolescence and adult hood. Parents always wish that their child remain active and fit. Parents are apprehensive about sending their ward to commercial gyms and fitness centres as they worry about acceptance of their child in such centres and the heavy fee charged by them. Tamana has started a physical fitness program after school hours at Nai Disha.

Most parents complain that their child after returning home becomes lethargic and inactive. Keeping that in mind Tamana has started with a program, which will help them regain strength, increase their endurance level and channelize their energy levels in a conservative manner. Each child attends two sessions in a week and the timings are from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. The Sessions Include: -

Weight reduction and physical fitness program.

A comprehensive O. T. program

Integrated camps are held annually to promote interaction between child and society. This experience has brought moments of unimagined joy into the lives of the college volunteers who have participated in our programmes.

Theatre arts in education

Theatre Arts in education has been introduced after school hours. The aim of the program is to enhance personality development of the students. There are 2 session for a student in a week and timings are from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The activities includes: Role play, Dance (Western), Drama, Instrumental music ,Harmonium, Tabla, casio).